Road to recovery for accident survivors: Finding new purpose after coping with disabilities

SINGAPORE – One moment, a person is crossing the road or riding a motorcycle.

The next, he or she wakes up in a hospital bed with missing limbs.

For the person, this marks the start of a gruelling journey.

While surgeons mend crushed bones and ruptured organs, the deepest wounds are often invisible.

Ms Eunice Tay, an advanced practice nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), said the most heart-rending thing patients have told her is that they wish they had died in the traffic accident.

She said: “They feel it’s so hard to continue living, especially when they are young and know their injuries and disability are permanent.”

Given the dire situation on Singapore roads, with traffic deaths hitting a 10-year high of 149 in 2025, The Straits Times will be running a series of stories to remind all road users – including drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians – to be responsible on the road and what can happen if they are not.

Stories will include those of accident victims, investigation officers and trauma experts, among many others, to highlight the irreversible consequences in a traffic accident, regardless of whose fault it is.

Stripped of their mobility, many young patients with permanent disabilities view themselves as burdens to their families.

One was a female motorcyclist in her 20s who had a leg amputated after a truck ran over her.

She thought she would forever be reliant on others.

But with support from healthcare workers, she learnt to grieve and also realised she could still lead an independent life.

Ms Tay said: “It is not the end of the world. You can still make something good out of your life after the incident.”

But reaching that point of acceptance means clawing one’s way out of a very dark place.

TTSH’s trauma psychology lead, Ms Lum Khay Xian, said survivors often battle mental trauma and a profound loss of identity as they mourn the future they once planned. Many struggle with denial and self-blame and question why it happened to them.

She said: “They ask themselves, ‘What could I have done? Could I have avoided this? Maybe if I had used a different road, or not gone out that day, I could still walk as usual’.”

In those darkest hours, the medical team steps in.

Ms Lum said: “In those very difficult moments, we tell them, ‘Let’s try a bit more, let’s hope, let’s focus on one day at a time’.”

Adjunct Assistant Professor Teo Li-Tserng, director of the TTSH Trauma Centre, said waking up to an altered future sparks a massive psychological battle.

He recalled a cyclist whose lower half was crushed by a bus at a pedestrian crossing.

Surgeons had to amputate both his legs to save his life.

The cyclist woke up to intense denial, anger and depression.

But months later, the double amputee proudly returned for a clinic review. He had modified his home to regain his independence and learnt to safely navigate public transport.

Prof Teo recalled another patient in a similar situation who joked that while he could never compete in the Olympics before, his new physical impairment might let him represent Singapore as a Paralympian.

Prof Teo said: “What may potentially be a disability may now be a new ability.

“The sheer resilience of the human mind and body to actually recover and reintegrate into life and make the most of life after a very devastating injury is very heart-warming.”